Every year my work puts on an over the top Burgundy dinner for some very special winemakers we work closely with. In the past we have done the dinner at Citronelle, but this year it took place at 2941. I’ve written some other posts about wine dinners at this restaurant, but the Burgundy dinner is always the most special.

I was thrilled to be invited since it was a $220.00 dinner with 5 courses and wine pairings. What makes these dinners special is getting to know the winemakers, hear their stories, and enjoy their wines with them. This year 2941 and Chain Bridge Cellars featured wines from Domaine Thibert and Lamy Pillot for one incredible and memorable evening.

These are both very small producers in Burgundy, France, but in my opinion, some of the best. They mostly make white burgundy (Chardonnay) and some red (Pinot Noir). The dinner kicked off with passed hors d’oeuvres, which I have to admit, were some of my favorite bites of the night! We were served a beautiful glass of Domain Thibert’s 2011 Vielle Vigne from Pouilly Fuisse while enjoying our snacks. This was a lovely wine to start and was a nice balance of richness and freshness in one glass. All the passed appetizers were wonderful. Calamari Tempura with a fresh and savory citrus aoili, Warm Gougere with aged Comte cheese, and my favorite of the night, Zucchini Fritters with feta cheese, mint, and yogurt dip. Fried to perfection with a bright green dip to add some flavor.

Once we were seated we were served the next two wines to pair with our first dish. Slow cooked Skuna Bay Salmon that was lightly smoked with shaved hairloom potatoes, spring garlic, and chive emulsion. With this dish we tried both the Domaine Thibert Les Champs 2010 and the Domaine Thibert Les Champs 2007, a richer, buttery style Chardonnay.

This dish was incredible. The salmon was rare, and complemented perfectly with this light frothy sauce that I wanted to slurp with a spoon. The wines were very different, and although the 2010 was a great pairing with the salmon, the crowd seemed to like the rich, buttery style of the 2007.

Crab & Lobster En Pastilla with toasted hazelnut, zucchini salad, with a vanilla-black pepper vinaigrette was our second dish and perfectly paired with two wines from Domaine Lamy Pillot. The Chassagne Montrachet Pot Bois and the Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru Caillerets. In layman’s terms: Chassagne Montrachet is an Appellation in Burgundy, and Caillerets is the name of the vineyard. The grape is still Chardonnay.

I love seafood, and I wasn’t sure about the hint of vanilla, but I thought it was quite nice here.

Moving onto red wines, we were served a Pan Seared Squab Breast with caramelized spring onion, roasted marjoram-potato gnocchi, Thai basil salad with juniper sea salt, and thyme jus. My favorite part of this dish was the thyme jus and the gnocchi. I would have been happy with just that. The squab was good, but I was not WOW’d by it unfortunately. Maybe I’m just not a squab person.

With this dish we tasted both the Lamy Pillot St. Aubin Les Argilliers 2009, a chalkier, more mineral driven Pinot Noir, and the Lamy Pillot Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru Clos St. Jean 2009, a riper, more elegant style Pinot Noir. Again, both wines were 100% Pinot Noir from the appellation Chassagne Montrachet in Burgundy. I thought this was the best pairing of the night.

The dinner finished with a light Goat Cheese Panna Cotta with roasted strawberries, and verjus sorbet. A nice refreshing way to end the evening, but I couldn’t have passed on this and been happy with another zucchini fritter..just saying.

A wonderful evening put on by Chain Bridge Cellars, Olivier Daubresse, and the folks at 2941. And a special thanks to sommelier Jonathan Schuyler and chef Bertrand Chemel for another great food and wine pairing extravaganza.

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